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Establishing a small business involves a series of important tasks, especially when it comes to telecommunications. The right internet and business phone services are vital to everything from basic communication to daily operations. If you want to make the right choices, here are a few things to avoid when browsing among potential internet and phone systems for small businesses.

What to Avoid When Choosing Internet & Phone Systems for Your Small Business
1. Underestimating Internet Service
Businesses usually require higher speeds than residential internet and adequate bandwidth to handle everyday business transactions and tasks. Stores that perform both online and in-store transactions on the same web application will require significant bandwidth and adequate speeds to accommodate a high volume of customers—if your business experiences slow transactions or connection, this could turn people away. Picking the right speed and bandwidth capacity will keep things flowing.

2. Predicting Limited Scope
Business hardware should be scalable, and company growth should always be a considered factor. With every purchasing choice you make, ask yourself if the service can easily expand without requiring replacement. Phone systems for small business, in particular, can be difficult to scale if you don’t pick the right one from the start.

3. Lack of Purchasing Support
When you purchase phone and internet systems for your small business, you may not know which information you should consider. Working with a company that’s knowledgeable in the telecommunication needs of small businesses will give you an advantage as you obtain the best products for your unique setup.

If you have a small business in Florida’s Tri-County area or are planning on starting one, South Florida VoIP can set you up with the best telecommunications services. Based in Pembroke Pines, they’ve been helping companies for nearly 20 years. Not only do they offer internet and phone systems for small businesses, but they also provide dedicated installation services. To learn more about their services, visit their website or call them at (954) 786-8647.

The availability of fiber has exploded in the past year or so, a result of massive efforts and capital investments by all the major telecom and cable companies in a bid to replace their current network assets, which are costly to maintain and rapidly becoming outdated.

Incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) have been taking a beating by local cable companies offering inexpensive big-bandwidth cable solutions. As a result, these carriers, with their older and more unreliable copper network assets, are often hard-pressed to deliver comparable connectivity speeds and have decided to fight back with fiber, often waiving the large up-front construction fees that have previously made the investment in fiber cost-prohibitive.

ILECs have also established Network Peering Relationships that enable them to participate in the increasingly competitive marketplace across the country. In other words, rather than only one option for fiber in a customer’s neighborhood, there could be multiple providers able to offer the same services, thus making pricing more competitive.

You may be wondering if all of this actually translates into a positive ROI investment for your customers. What are the actual benefits of fiber, and what kind of customers should be considering a move to fiber?

Here, we’ve complied six reasons that you should discuss the switch to fiber from coax with your customer and what types of customers can benefit from this change, now.

1. Speed
Sandisk research indicates that slow internet connections cost employees one week per year in productivity. Fiber-vs-coax-Think about that. While delays due to slow internet may seem negligible, over time, they add up. An organization shouldn’t notice Internet slow-downs during periods of high demand; similarly, Internet connections should never inhibit productivity.

Fiber-optic Internet is exponentially faster than even the highest-speed coax connection, with options ranging from 5Mbps to 100 Gbps. Give us a call at 954-394-0998 we’ll get you quotes from the 5 best providers

2. Reliability
Fiber Internet connectivity is stronger than copper coax and therefore has significant advantages in reliability, such as negligible vulnerability to inclement weather conditions. In a coax situation, however; weather can damage or stall data transmissions via copper cabling. Additionally, unless the fibers are physically cut, fiber is resistant to human or electrical interference, and fiber Internet signals do not degrade or disappear due to electromagnetic interference.

Indisputably, unreliable Internet connections can have real costs to businesses. If a business requires a reliable Internet connection to make phone calls or access applications, reliability is an absolute necessity. For any business, really, unplanned downtime can bring operations to a screeching halt, impacting productivity and potentially revenue. Give us a call at 954-394-0998 we’ll get you quotes from the 5 best providers

3. Bandwidth
Although fiber-optic Internet for business isn’t truly unlimited, the bandwidth availability is substantially higher than cable Internet bandwidth where it’s fairly easy to “hit the cap” on your monthly bandwidth allotment, particularly for businesses with a high need for data transmissions.

If your customer’s users habitually perform any of the following activities, a considerable amount of demand is repeatedly being placed on the company’s bandwidth:

File sharing
Web conferencing
Streaming HD video
Accessing cloud applications
SIP trunking
Look out for the warning sings of low bandwidth availability: delays, slow speeds and pixelated video quality. If a company’s current Internet connection just isn’t cutting the mustard, they could benefit significantly from an upgrade to a fiber-optic Internet connection.
Give us a call at 954-786-8647 we’ll get you quotes from the 5 best providers

4. Latency
The delays that occur while processing data over an Internet connection are considered latency. Users can experience many delays on cable Internet, most notably when uploading or downloading video or high-definition content. Though they may not be streaming House of Cards on Netflix in their office, latency impacts a business in a variety of ways. Decreasing latency can benefit your customers by:

Improved collaboration between employees
Upload and download large files without disruption or delays
Move more applications to the cloud
Improved voice quality for VoIP users
Give us a call at 954-394-0998 we’ll get you quotes from the 5 best providers

5. Security
The average cost to a business from an information security breach is $3.8 million, and companies who have protected information leaked can face stiff financial penalties and customer defection.

Unfortunately, it’s fairly easy for hackers and other nefarious cyber-criminals to gain access to sensitive information with cable Internet as a result of cable tapping or other fairly simple techniques. On the other hand, the only way to infiltrate a fiber-optic Internet is to physically cut the wires, causing the signal to vanish; therefore, a fiber Internet connection is one of the single most powerful ways to increase a company’s protection against cyber-crime.

Although the media might focus on breaches of high-profile enterprise corporations, companies of all sizes are vulnerable to attack. Numerous SMB’s lack the money and resources to invest heavily in security, and many also have an “it can’t happen to me” type of mentality. The truth is quite the opposite, though. In reality, the likelihood of an SMB experiencing a cyber-attack or data breach is over 50% (Penemon Institute, 2017).

Security-Guide-
While upgrading to fiber Internet connectivity won’t prevent all customer risks, it can certainly be an initial step to protect them. Like a suit of armor, the knight may still get struck with his opponent’s sword, but he’s far less likely to be hit in a vital organ.Give us a call at 954-786-8647 we’ll get you quotes fast and ensure it installs quickly and bills correctly

6. Cost-Efficiency
As previously mentioned, ILEC’s are taking strides to make the transition to fiber more affordable with Network Peering Relationships as well as a willingness to, in some cases, absorb the initial construction costs, which could save thousands of dollars in up-front capital expenditure.

While still more expensive than coax, fast Internet is frequently thought of as a “productivity tool” for business—and a necessary one at that. Loss of productivity can multiply across an organization: the number of employees that a slow Internet connection impacts relative to an average of a week’s lost wages for each of them over the course of a year…suddenly an investment in fiber sounds more affordable.

Additionally, businesses can gain flexibility and scalability with fiber. As an ever-increasing number of business functions are being moved to the cloud—a fiber connection can better serve these initiatives, saving time and money.

Understanding what pain points fiber Internet can address for your customer base as well as the numerous benefits that can be had is key to knowing which of your customers (or prospects) are ready to make a move to fiber. It’s never a bad idea to be on the look-out for ways to improve your customers’ productivity and business while also expanding your own.

First let us point out we are talking about DIA (Dedicated Internet Access) Metro Ethernet Internet verse Coax best effort. Best effort means you will get speeds up to what they sold your sometimes maybe but no promises. DIA Ethernet Internet you get a CIR (Committed Information Rate) speed with a 99.999% speed and up-time warrantee.

What does this mean to your business?

Let’s say you have 4 or 5 people in your office with a total cost per hour of $100.00 in wages if you have them working on a coax best effort internet connection you are losing at least 1 hour of productivity each week. How this breaks down is as follows at least 1 hour a day where the Coax Internet is slow and sluggish due to your service provider sell more access than they can actually provide so you get Packet Loss, latency and Jitter which slow everything down and causes information to get corrupted add if a 5-15 minute period each week when you have no access and your Coax best effort internet connection has cost you at least $100.00 a week in lost productivity which also causes lower moral due to worker being upset when the internet is slow. Move services and records to the cloud just makes this worse.

The cost of a 100MB DIA Metro Ethernet Fiber Internet connection has dropped in the past 9 months from an average of $1500-$1600.00 a month to $800.00-$900.00 a month.

South Florida VoIP will get you the best services at the lowest possible prices no matter what your internet needs might be

You do the math your best effort 100/15MB connection cost you $200.00 a month and $500.00 + in lost productivity. A 50/50MB metro Ethernet Internet connection costs you $700.00 a month and your employee’s can get more done in less time and are happier.

Give South Florida VoIP a call at 954-786-8647 or send us an e-mail Quotes@sflvoip.com for the best prices

Your business thrives on effective tools that improve productivity, facilitate communication, and make it easier to get the job done. To accomplish those goals and more, a VoIP phone system is one of the best investments you can make. Here are the top reasons your business should switch to a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service this year.

Fast, Quality Communication

In the digital age, work moves quickly. A VoIP service moves with you, turning your important calls into data that can reach you via the internet. Web-based phone calls are more than just convenient; they offer a range of impressive features that regular phone lines just can’t match.

For example, VoIP providers can charge less than their traditional competitors because they use data networks, rather than existing phone infrastructures. The use of data networks also translates into major savings for business owners; there’s no need to pay for a separate phone provider when your VoIP phone system handles all of your calls.

Your business benefits from more than just a better bottom line—employee productivity can increase, too. As long as they have a broadband connection, your employees can stay in touch with their business line without having to worry about phone service or charging their cell phones. What’s more, voicemail and faxes can be automatically forwarded to your inbox, which makes it easy to stay on top of client communication.

Make the Most of Your VoIP Phone System

Not all internet phone service providers are created equal, and what works for a mega-corporation might not be ideal for your small business. Work with a trusted VoIP provider who can set you up with a system that meets your unique needs. Be sure to ask your provider about your options in case of a power outage, and ensure the company offers security options to protect your information from internet security threats.

At the end of the day, there’s a reason many companies are switching to VoIP systems: they’re fast, convenient, and designed to complement your evolving needs as a working professional.

If you’re looking for reliable internet and phone service providers in the Fort Lauderdale and Miami, FL, areas, South Florida VoIP has you covered. This acclaimed VoIP phone system provider offers reliable phone systems for small business, metro ethernet internet, and cloud phone systems, among other services. To learn more about their business internet and phone solutions, call (954) 786-8647 or check out their product line online.

Verizon doubled down and brought unlimited data back on America’s largest and best network. This is turned caused AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile/Metro PCS and a number of re sellers to drop there prices to avoid loosing customers and market share. Sprint bought Jared to tell you all how 1% does not make a difference which is total bull crap. So how do you get the best deal? First go to your current providers website like you are a new customer this will show you there bests deals. Sometimes you can save up to 50% just by going prepaid verses the post paid plan you are on. If you are currently on auto-pay you should switch to there prepaid plans which cost less and have a much lower taxes and fee’s.Once you have explored these options talk to a couple of your coworkers and your neighbors to see how happy they are with there cell service provider. If you get good reports check out those providers websites looking for prepaid plans with unlimited calling texts and data. remember before switching call your service provider back and follow the prompts to disconnect your service as this transfers you to a special group that can sometimes cut through the red tape hype and BS to get you a better price! just remember DO NOT actually have your service turned off until after you have your number moved over to your new provider.

In order to get well done VoIP you must understand the terminology and the differences between things like hunting rollover verses ring groups, hold verses park, ring groups verses queue’s and a hosted of other terms. Then comes the question’s of single cable network or dual cable network, POE switch verses power supplies and network switch.

We’ll take the easy ones first:
Network Cables most professional recommend 2 separate networks and switches for computers and phones for two reasons security and troubleshooting both computer and phone issues when they arise.
POE since you have to purchase network switches anyway you might just as well spend the extra $50-$75.00 to get a network switch that has POE ( power over Ethernet) this way you do not have a power supply for each phone that also requires an electrical plug in. You will also save on battery backup power supplies as you can plug the switch into the UPS battery backup power supply along with your modems and computer network switches so your phone and internet do not shut off when your power blinks.

VoIP setup. Getting it correct is critical. We recently fixed an issue for a client who purchased VoIP directly from a service provider sales team. Client was having so many issues they have to turn over the CRM pop screens and a number of other features which were the main reason the had switched to VoIP. It was all because the service provider including their setup and configuration team did not understand the difference between Ring Groups and Queue’s. If you are using pop screens you must setup an incoming Queue not a Ring Group if you don’t every agent will get the new caller info over writing the pop screen of the client they are currently assisting. note you can have a ring group behind a queue and your pop screens will work correctly.

Hold Verses Park, most people think of hold as putting someone on hold and being able to pick up the call on a different phone by hitting the blinking button. most VoIP systems only offer hold for each phone not group hold where everyone can see the calls blinking light on hold and pick up the call. Most VoIP systems require you to transfer a call instead either to the park system to be picked up by dialing the park code or to a different extension or phone number. You should note most sales people will lie to you on this issue as each phone does do hold but it is not the type of hold that you are used to.

Feel free to give us a call 954-786-8647 or 954-394-0998 we fix issues even if we did not sell you the service. Looking for service we can help you avoid all the pricing games and get you the features you need and setup them up correctly